A service principal is a non-human identity used to authenticate applications and services in cloud environments.
Description
Service principals are crucial in non-human identity management as they enable applications and services to access resources securely without user intervention. In cloud environments like Azure, a service principal acts as a security identity that applications and services use to authenticate themselves when interacting with various resources. This identity is not tied to a specific user but rather to the application or service itself, facilitating automated processes and enhancing security by minimizing the need for user credentials. Service principals can be assigned specific permissions and roles, allowing organizations to enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring that applications only have access to the resources they absolutely need. This isolation of identities aids in improving the security posture of an organization by reducing the attack surface. Furthermore, service principals can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines, enabling seamless deployment and management of applications in cloud environments.
Examples
- An Azure Active Directory service principal used by a web application to access Azure resources.
- A service principal configured for a continuous integration tool to deploy code to cloud services.
Additional Information
- Service principals can be created using various authentication methods, including client secrets or certificates.
- They are used in conjunction with role-based access control (RBAC) to manage permissions effectively.